A controversial net call helped Lin Dan into the men's singles final at the World Championships, the Chinese top seed defeating Danish hope Peter Gade in a nail-biting semi-final showdown.
Gade was furious after a gruelling one-hour 45-minute tussle at the Arrowhead Pond which ended in a 15-9, 13-15, 15-11 victory for world number one Lin, who will meet Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia in the final.
The flashpoint came in the decisive game, after Gade had rallied from 9-12 down to get to within a point of an increasingly jittery Lin at 11-12. But just when it looked as if Gade's momentum would carry him to victory, the Dane was faulted on serve.
The harsh call deflated Gade and Lin gathered himself to close out the match to the delight of his legions of fans in crowd of around 4,000.
'I think the only reason that he gave a fault was because he had a bad conscience about giving one to Lin in the previous game,' said a dejected Gade.
'It's really hard to accept because I could sense that Lin was starting to get nervous and making mistakes. I really do think that if I'd got to 12-12, I would have won because I don't think he's used to dealing with pressure,' Gade added.
Despite his bitter disappointment, Gade was gracious about Lin's performance. 'He really took his badminton to another level from what we have seen in the early rounds,' he said. 'He doesn't give you many opportunities. If they come, you have to take them.'
